The purpose of this workshop is to develop guidelines for practical applications of valuing ecosystem services for decision makers.
A full-day meeting to be held in Syracuse , New York on Monday, 23 November 2009.
Hosted by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and co-organized with the Onesa Institute. It is supported by the State University of New York’s ‘Conversations in the Disciplines’ program.
The project is directed by Dr. Valerie Luzadis, Associate Professor of Ecological Economics and Policy at SUNY ESF and Policy Fellow at the Onesa Institute.
Collaborators include Dr. Karin Limburg, Associate Professor of Environmental and Forest Biology at SUNY ESF, and Dr. Greg Boyer, Professor of Biochemistry at SUNY ESF and Director of the Great Lakes Research Consortium.
Participants will include members of research institutes throughout the State University of New York system, as well as Cornell University , Syracuse University , The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, the Great Lakes Research Consortium, the NYSDEC Hudson River Estuary Program, the Adirondack Ecological Center , and others.
Overview
Ecosystem services are the tangible and intangible goods, both physically necessary and emotionally appreciated, that humans derive from natural systems. As human population growth expands exponentially, we have placed an unsustainable demand on natural resources.
As decision makers become more aware of the critical role played by ecosystem services, there is increasing demand for methods of quantification and valuation as a means of including these services in decision frameworks. Most scholars and practitioners agree, however, that we lack good ways to conceptualize and determine the value of ecosystem goods and services for use in interdisciplinary scholarly research and for practical application.
Goals
- To gather key scholars from SUNY and other research institutions along to engage in a facilitated interdisciplinary exchange on recent research and advances in ecosystem services quantification and valuation;
- To prioritize a research agenda for quantification and valuation of ecosystem services that builds on existing research;
- To develop an initial set of guidelines for decision makers for practical application of valuing ecosystem services; and
- To establish research relationships with SUNY colleagues across New York State for further development of ecosystem services.
Format
The daylong program is structured to provide attendees with opportunities to interact directly with key participants in discussions on the topic. The day is divided into two parts, each focusing on one of the two main discussion goals: (1) The research agenda. (2) Practical applications for managers and decision-makers. This will be accomplished by a summary of each topic being introduced by a plenary session speaker, followed by small group breakout sessions interspersed with full group feedback sessions. This structure allows maximum “air time” for scholars from different disciplines to relate research and ideas to small group members and for the full group to benefit from small group ideas.
Itinerary:
8:30 am - Registration and light refreshments
9:00 - Welcome and overview of the day – Dr. Valerie Luzadis
9:05 - Opening address – Dr. Karin Limburg
Dr. Limburg will introduce the topic of ecosystem services generally.
9:20 - Welcome - Dr. Bruce Bongarten, SUNY ESF VP of Academic Affairs and Provost
9:30 - Morning Plenary Session – Current Status of Ecosystem Services Research, Dr. Elena Bennett, McGill University (invited). Dr. Bennett will give a brief but comprehensive overview of current research on ecosystem services. Supporting documents including selected scholarly papers on the topic will be posted to a website and shared with participants prior to the conference.
10:00 - Small group discussions (groups of 8-10, with one key participant facilitating)
Groups will gather on specific topics: Air, Water, Land
Groups will discuss following guiding questions presented by facilitator
Coffee, tea, water and fruit available throughout small group sessions
11:30 - Break
11:45 - Reconvene as full group – Professional Facilitator
This session will provide opportunity for the small groups to share key ideas from their discussions using a technique such as the “whip around” in which the facilitator specifically asks for one key idea from each group. The resulting ideas will be recorded for the full group and used by the conference leaders and key participants in follow-up work to articulate the research agenda to share back with all participants and possible publication (we plan to discuss the possibility with an appropriate journal editor, such as Environmental Management).
12:30 - Lunch
1:30 - Afternoon Opening Address – Dr. Greg Boyer
Dr. Boyer will briefly move us from the research agenda to the practical needs discussion
1:45 - Afternoon Plenary Session
Practical Applications of Ecosystem Services: Needs of Managers and Decision-Makers — Ms. Frances Dunwell, Director of the Hudson River Estuary Program (invited)
Ms. Dunwell will give a brief but comprehensive overview of practical needs of managers and decision-makers to effectively use an ecosystem services framework to support conservation. Supporting documents including selected scholarly papers on the topic will be posted to a website and shared with participants prior to the conference.
2:15 - Small group discussions (groups of 8-10, with one key participant facilitator)
Groups gather by specific topic interest: Air, Water, Land. Groups to discuss following guiding questions presented by facilitator.
Drinks available throughout small group sessions
3:45 - Break - Fruit and cookies
4:00 - Reconvene full group – Professional Facilitator
This session will provide opportunity for the small groups to share key ideas from their discussions using a technique such as the “whip around” in which the facilitator specifically asks for one key idea from each group. The resulting deas will be recorded for the full group and used by the conference leaders and key participants in follow-up work to articulate an initial set of guidelines for decision-makers and managers to share back with all participants and possible publication.
4:45 - Summary and Final Comments – Dr. Valerie Luzadis
More information
For more information please visit the host’s website or contact Dr. Valerie Luzadis: vluzadis(at)esf.edu
